Who cares about dancing?
by banagicowl
Summary: Echo Creek Senior prom! Star and Marco just want to take dance lessons, but highschool life has some other surprises for them in store. Chick flic style fic that reflects on how hard it can be to admit feelings and that becoming an adult is scary sometimes. I envision Star to be 17, Marco 18 in this. Developing Starco
1. Chapter 1

_Authors note: The new season really got me in the mood to finish this story I started writing last year. I've edited the first few chapters to the point where I am confident I have avoided OOC writing. But you can be the judge of that! :D enjoy_

Marco,you ready?" Star called from downstairs,while I was busy throwing on the red buttonup she made me buy just for the occasion.

Today we were about to have our first dancing lesson, we applied for a dance course back in march, when the school committee announced the date for senior prom.

Star was absolutely, COMPLETELY hyped about the whole thing, which is understandable. She loves anything that is earth tradition in any way. I didn't really care a lot, though. Much to her disappointment.

It's a school dance, sure you can have fun, but it's way less exciting and special than everyone makes it out to be.

"THE NIGHT OF OUR LIVES!" wasn't really my kind of thing.

I'm more of a...whatever happens, happens sorta guy.

Since Star saw it as something utterly magical and amazing though, I tried my best to get in the vibe of it.

I asked her to go to prom with me,after all. As friends. I didn't plan on going at first, but Star was really eager to and since I didn't want to disappoint her or have some shady guy ask for her company at the event, I invited her to go with me.

Star was fairly popular, her being asked out for prom by someone with ill intentions was bound to happen, and I made it my responsibility to prevent that from happening before any hopeful dude could step up and try his luck.

I know Star doesn't need anyone to save her from anything, but she was so pumped for prom, and I didn't want some random guy to blow it for her. You never know.

It was a good decision. if I was going to have a great time,it had to be with my best friend by my side.

I did a quick mirror check before leaving. "Huh, I look pretty good! Star really knows what suits me." I finger pistoled my reflection, combed an annoying streak back that was bothering me, then rushed downstairs, greeted by an overly excited princess.

She was wearing a red, flowy, sleevelss dress, an impala lily worked into her locks, fixated by a neat ponytail. Some strands of hair playfully tucked out.

She chose the dress specifically to match my outfit.

It looked great on her,too.

A big grin crept onto my face.

"You look like you could teach me dancing yourself, princessa."

I nudged her in the side gently.

"The flower is a nice touch up, by the way! Makes you look all..."

I took a dramatic pause.

"...dancy!" I finished.

"Ppppff..." She shook her head, her face adapting an expression which I could only describe as a bit daring.

"It's not only the look,Marco. I am prepared to fight you in a dancebattle! So don't be too cheeky with me, ninja boy." She exclaimed jokingly.

I put a hand on Star's shoulder. "Star, star, star. Don't be silly." I preached.

"Dancing is not about battling each other, it's about...getting in the zone, merging with your partner and sweeping the dancefloor as one! You know...yin and yang, black and white and that whole stuff." I made some vague hand gestures.

I couldn't help but be a know-it-all about dancing, probably because I'm not new to it and have had a lot of dancing classes when I was younger. I mostly just said that stuff to tease her, though.

I could watch Star sigh heavily from the corner of my eye. A sight that made me snicker.

"LetsjusthavesomefunokayTHANKS" my best friend blurred out in her superspeed Star manner, as she grabbed my arm and dragged me to the car.

"And one-two-three-four, and one-two-three-four and..."

"No,no,no you've got it all wrong,ugh! Dios mío, what am I going to do with you kids!"

A tall, slim, woman, probably in her 30s, with long, black, locks reaching down to her midback was walking next to a dancing couple, clapping rhythmically. She was clearly getting frustrated by how painfully chaotic the dancing was.

"That's miss Larez, she's pretty strict, but a really good teacher." I told Star in a hushed voice.

"She was constructing my last dancing class."

"That woman really has some rhythm in her blood!" Star cheered. "I can't wait to learn all the special dancefloor moooooves." She whispered as she slightly shuffled from side to side.

"Well, Star. If you really wanted to just learn the basics, I could've taught you at home! I'm not bad at dancing, you know this." I offered but she just waved me away as If I was some annoying fly, as soon as the words came out of my mouth.

"Yeahyeahyeah, your dancing is amazing, I just want to learn from a real professional,Marco.

Don't worry, it'll be fun!"

Star finished, her eyes set on our dancing teacher.

"Very well then, kids. As I already predicted, most of you will have to work really hard in order to not be a complete embarrassment in front of your other peers." Miss Larez announced with a stern look on her face.

"Wow, that sounds promising." I whispered to my friend, who was standing next to me, completely absorbed by the rant the Latina was about to go on.

"Ssshhh!" Star retorted quickly.

I rolled my eyes as I brought my attention back to the main event.

"Everyone of you will choose a partner and get right to it. First thing on the list is the basic waltz. Now, the waltz is a very elegant and graceful dance, make sure you are in tune with your partner, don't dance for yourself, be compassionate and don't forget about an upright posture." Miss Larez said,while she was showing us the basic steps.

"Left, side, close. Right, side, close. Always keep in tact." She continued, dancing on her own.

I let out a sigh as I was turning around to face Star upfront. Hard to change her mind once she's made it up, anyways. She can be so stubborn, sometimes.

"Alright then, let's do it."

I stretched my arm out, waiting for her to take my hand as I put my other palm on her hip.

Star's eyes sparkled, a wide smile across her face as she grabbed my hand,ready to go.

We began moving, to the left side, closing the distance of our legs, then to the right side and so on.

I have to admit, Stars movements had quite a good flow for a beginner, even though she was focusing more on not stepping on my feet rather than letting it come naturally, but she only made a few mistakes.

She beamed brightly at me and I couldn't help but shoot her a smile back.

"Star, you're doing well!" I encouraged her.

Star looked down, focusing on her feet. "What can I say, I learn fast. But lemme try something different real fast!"

The blonde quickly grabbed both my wrists, then she started spinning until we were standing on our heels, going in a circle.

"Weeeee" she exclaimed, as we spun faster and faster. I let out a warm laugh.

"Freestyle is fun as well, I suppose!" A smirk twitching on my lips.

We didn't even notice what was going on, our laughter becoming more noticeable as we were spinning faster and faster, but in a matter of seconds we were interrupted by a harsh voice approaching us, heels clicking on the wooden floor.

"And what are you doing if I may ask?" Miss Larez said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

I quickly let go of Star, then nervously scratched the back of my head. It was a habit i did in times of caught-in-the-moment situations . "Well...uh...you see"

"We were having fun!" Star stated bluntly. "I thought dancing is all about having fun? Or did I miss something?"

"Dancing is about order, it is a system. Of course, fun does come around with said system, but you shouldn't be messing around like 12 year olds when I gave you a clear task!" The Latina snarled.

Star and I both nodded, intimidated by the lady in front of us.

"Yes,maam!" We replied simultaneously.

Miss Larez rolled her eyes, then went on to critisise other students leaving Star chuckling quietly at what happened.

I made sure Larez was out of hearing distance before I started speaking.

'I told you she's strict, we should pay more attention next time, we really don't want to become her prime target."

"Mess up twins." Star whispered, as she placed both her hands on my shoulders.

"You wish!" I blurted out jokingly, freeing myself from her grip.

We went back to trying out the waltz for the rest of the lesson, Star trying her hardest to refrain from any tempting shenanigans.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: The dancing continues, just a bit different this time. I know where I want to go with the story, and I mostly have the plot fleshed out, I will keep coming up with new stuff and adjustments as I go though, Im also open to constructive criticism and ideas! :-)**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

"So how did dancing go last night, you prom enthusiasts." Ferguson asked, while taking a big bite from his PB&J sandwich.

Lunchbreak just began and the cafeteria slowly but surely started to fill up with students, the background noises becoming louder and louder, drowning out everyones indoor voices, causing people to practically having to shout at their friends right next to them in order to get something across.

Star and I exchanged a knowing glance, trying to hold back the most obvious grins. Should we reveal the "special dancefloor mooooves" (how Star puts it) that our tyrant of a teacher tried to hammer into our brains?

"Oh yeah, it was...okay." Star paused, her head was now tilted far to the side, stabilized by her hand stemming against it. "I didn't expect dancing teachers to be so strict,though! I mean it's dancing, I thought people who do that for a profession should be all chill and groovy, but we got **super** unlucky! Our teacher is the biggest buzzkill. Seems like she hates any dancing that isn't built on a fulltime routine."

She ranted, while stabbing the sad looking cafeteria spaghetti with a fork.

I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I mean you gotta admit though, it was at least bearable towards the end." My attention drifted to the two boys sitting next to us. "I'd say you guys missed out on a lot of quality freestyle last night." I winked at my unenthusiastic looking friends before getting back to stuffing my face with the mediocre food in front of me.

"Ppffff. Ferguson and I will build a men-only prom possee." Alfonzo announced. "We don't need no fancy dancin', we are going to play it cool, y'know? Casual. Just two men...and the wild life."

I slightly raised an eyebrow in surprise, Star next to me snickering like a fullblown hyena.

"That's a complete lie. We would've loved to join in, but Alfonzo already participated in 3 dancing courses, and failed all of them, so his mother doesn't allow him to waste more money on trying to learn how to use his two left feet." Ferguson butted in, rolling his eyes at Alfonzo.

Alfonzo pouted, his cool guy facade shattered into tiny pieces,but before he could come up with anything to say in his defense, he was interrupted by a smooth girl's voice.

"Come on,guys. Leave Alfonzo alone, not everyone is blessed with incredible motoric skills."

Jackie Lynn Thomas made her way to our table. Exactly. That Jackie Lynn Thomas.

That Jackie Lynn Thomas I have had an ongoing crush on for about 12 years. 12 years of my entire lifespan. 2/3 of 3/3 of my existence. That Jackie Lynn Thomas that...was surprisingly not as captivating as I imagined her to be.

I got over her some time ago. I might explain in detail soon, but to cut a very long story short, we're just friends now and I feel like that's what's best.

"Earth to Marco! Are you alright?" I was promptly ripped out of my thoughts by Star waving her hands so close to my face, she could nearly touch my eyelashes. I quickly grabbed her hands and lowered them. "Don't do that."

"I had to! We were worried you entered a complete different realm of existence." She joked.

"Ppfft, come oooon...I was not paying attention for just a few seconds." I thought I was being quick-witted, but my calculations were proven wrong as Jackie pointed at her watch. "It's been 10 minutes, Marco."

God, she was actually right. I've been thrown back in memories for longer than I thought.

"It's...a habit?" I excused myself while my gaze wandered from person to person in the round.

No one looked too impressed with my response. Guess I have too many habits.

"Anyways, Star what kind of dress are you going to wear to prom?" Jackie asked,trying to change the topic.

Stars eyes lit up, excited about the question.

"I'm not sure yet, there are so many possibilities,though! I'd like it to be sparkly for sure, because the theme is "comet shower" after all. OOOO! what about integrated neonlights!

I could be the mewman embodiment of a rave."

Jackie nodded slowly. "Sounds cool dude, we can go dress shopping together, I was planning on going this weekend, you could tag along if you'd like."

Janna who appeared out of absolute thin air, casually wrapped her arms around Jackie and Star.

"Im free this weekend." She whispered, causing the two girls to jump up in surprise.

How does she always do that?

"Janna, you'd think I'd be used to you sneaking up on people after four years at this school but...to be honest I'm really not." Star stated as she patted Jannas arm.

Janna grinned. "Gotta stick to my roots y'know. Are you on board, Butterfly?"

Star pumped both her fists in the air. "I am in...for the full experience!"

Jackie gave them a quick thumbs up . "It's a deal then. Hit me up tomorrow, guys."

I could feel a headache coming on. I still had to buy my suit for prom, and my fashion advisors were Alfonzo and Ferguson, who would wear Sandals with socks anyday.

I was in for a treat and I still had half a schoolday to go.

"Star, I'm home!" The door screeched open as I made my way inside. Star's last lesson ended about 2 hours ago and I assumed she was home already.

My parents were helping out our neighbors with their vegetable garden and were planning on going out to the movies with them after, meaning Star and I had to prepare dinner for ourselves.

I quickly dropped my bag then scooted into the kitchen and there she was, chopping up floating cucumbers with her wand.

"I should've known you'd start without me." I gave her a playfully disappointed look while I was leaning against the doorframe.

"Always a step ahead of ya!" She sang, dropping the cucumber bits into a big bowl.

"Don't just stand there, get over here and help me cut!"

I let out a small chuckle as I grabbed a knife and started slicing some tomatoes in half.

"It's been a while since we last cooked together."

"Yeah, a year ago when I tried to make the chocolate fondue fluffy by using my wand and the walls ended up covered in brown, chocolatey sludge." Star reminded me.

"That was also when the Coopers from New York visited, and my mum had to clean up the entire kitchen in an hour. I still can't believe she managed to do it that fast."

"And then she banned us from cooking for ages." Star continued, a wide grin plastered on her face.

"Exactly." I finished, starting to stir the dressing.

There was a long pause before any of us said anything. I knew something was up.

"Marco..." Star began, as she crossed her arms and gave me the 'spit it out' look.

"Wh..." I couldn't follow.

"Today at lunch. I know you and Jackie are cool now and everything but...are you really cool or are you just pretending to be cool? Because I know how long you two stubbornly tried to avoid each other after your whole...uh...confession." I suppose this was just as uncomfortable for her as it was for me.

"Well, Star. I had the choice between awkwardly avoiding her or embarrassingly trying to indicate conversation that probably wouldn't have resulted in anything other than useless 2 line smalltalk." I bluntly replied.

Star still looked unsatisfied.

"Look. It was the best solution for jackie and i to not talk for a while, you know? Focus on other things, let grass grow over the whole situation and then go on with it. Things are fine, time passed and now we're both ready to forget about it! Trust me, it's not a problem."

Star nodded enthusiastically. 'See? You can actually be reassuring if you try!"

She twirled around to grab the salad bowl, then dumped it on the table.

"Dig in!" She announced and we both sat down.

"So...another thing.' Star continued.

I raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"I've been thinking." She said, while shoving a fork full of cucumber in her mouth.

"Since dancing lessons are only once a week, we could practice a bit at home by ourselves, don't you think?"

I nodded in response. "That's actually not a bad idea, you know...I knew you'd come back to me and ask for private dancing lessons, you can't deny the fact I'm a good teacher!" hah! She finally acknowledged that I can teach her just as well as that dancing mentor with anger management issues.

"Well then, let's start!" Star jumped up as she clapped her hands and stomped her feet twice. "Olé!"

"What about dinner?" I wondered.

"We can still eat later, the salad won't run away!" The princess exclaimed, walking over to me and linking her arm with mine.

That girl is full of surprises.

"Alright, if you insist, STUDENT." A mischievous grin found its way to my face.

"Nooononono. You won't say this for the rest of the day, will you?" Star shook her head like she was trying to communicate that this was not going to happen under any circumstances.

"If I feel like it." I gave her a small shrug as I made my way over to the radio and turned it on.

"Proper dancing needs proper music."

"Of course, Teacher Diaz." Star humored me before taking a step towards me, waiting for instructions, until 5 seconds later when she actually heard the song that was playing.

"MARCO!" She gasped. "That's my favourite song!" she yelled happily while clapping her hands. "Turn it up!"

It was a bubbly popsong that I recognized myself, it didn't sound too bad so I turned the volume up a notch and bobbed my head to the tune.

"Hey I know this from somewhere!" I said while I turned around, seeing Star already dancing like there's no tomorrow.

"Yeah, I listen to it all the time in my room. Come on Marco, dance with me!"

Star threw her arms in the air with so much energy, her long, blonde hair flowing with every little move she made, falling around her waist and hips that she swung rhythmically, exentuating her figure.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me next to her, while she kept on turning the living room into her own dancefloor.

She spun around, we were back to back as she threw her head over her shoulder and looked at me, singing along with the lyrics of the song. She smiled when she took both my hands, jumping up and down, now singing the chorus. I jumped with her.

I never saw her like this. She took in the entire room, rushing through it like a strong tornado, graceful at the same time as she moved her small, delicate body to every beat. She did whatever she wanted to, and it looked good. Her dancing style was carefree and different, just like her. She did not need lessons, she knew just what to do. "Marco?" I caught myself staring, my face turned hot in a matter of seconds, the blood rushing into my cheeks. "Are you okay?" Star slowed down, giving me a worried look.

I quickly shook my head to snap out of it. "Oh yeah, yeah, no...i'm...i'm okay, yeah."

I muttured as I tried to collect myself and figure out what just happened.

The princess chuckled lightly while she put a hand on my shoulder.

"You mad that you didn't get to lead?"

I rolled my eyes jokingly before I turned to face her.

"You don't make a bad lead either, princessa. So no, I'm not mad. I'm really impressed. That was great!" I smiled as her arms fell around my neck.

"Thank you, Marco! Huuuugs." She burst out as I rubbed her back.

"No problem, Star." We both let go from the hug, our eyes still locked.

"You'll definitely steal the show at prom. Even I will have to see how I can keep up with that." I admitted but Star just put her hand up pointing towards the couch.

"Come on, dude, let's not get too sappy." A grin on her face. "Let's watch TV and pretend we fell asleep when your parents come back, so we don't have to help them upstairs in their drunk state."

She joked, as she skipped over to the TV, jumped on the couch and grabbed the remote.

It was a quick topic change, but I didn't mind.

"Sounds good to me." I followed her prime example and walked towards the sofa before plumping down on it with a big thud.

Star silently handed over the tv remote. I flicked through a couple of channels but wasn't able to find something that could catch my attention for more than 10 minutes.

After half an hour I was about to give up when I suddenly felt a big pressure against my shoulder. I quickly glanced to my side just to find the Princess of Mewni leaning against me, fast asleep.

I smiled. She looked exhausted but also kind of peaceful. 'Pretending to fall asleep huh...looks just like the real deal to me.' I whispered to myself trying my hardest to suppress a chuckle.

Just a few minutes after more pointless zapping, my consciousness was slowly drifting away as well as I blinked at the buzzing screen in front of me. I think I could've made it to bed if I really tried, but it was surprisingly comfortable on the couch that night.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for uploading a bit late, I'm getting ready for college and it's all pretty stressful. I can't promise weekly updates once my term starts but I'll definitely try my hardest to update frequently! :-)**

 **On the Jackie and Janna front, well. What can I say. I don't have a lot to work with since the two don't really have a much character development up to this point in the show, but I tried.**

 **Thanks for the reviews to everyone btw, i really appreciate it! I'll respond to some on here.**

 **Guest chapter 2 . Aug 5**

 **That was great. The Starco chemistry is well-written. Janna is as sneaky as ever (As awesome as she is, I don't trust her in the series. I think she's planning something). Can we get some monster battles in this story? It wouldn't be the same without that. :)**

 **Aside from some grammatical errors over the two chapters (a missing space, a capitalization there, etc.), I don't see any problems. Keep going.**

 _Thanks man! English isn't my first language so even after proofreading my writing a couple of times, small mistakes still pass me by sometimes. I try my best to avoid them though! And about the monster fighting, well. What i can only say that there WILL be some. You'll just have to keep reading and find out when! :D_

 **Guest Sorta chapter 2 . Aug 5**

 **Adorable! Also, what song was it? I think I have a pretty good idea, but I'm not sure.**

 _Well, I think I'm pretty sure which song you mean, as it was in the charts for a long while and I have seen it being used for Starco amvs on youtube quite often, AND its about dancing. though I can't really focus on listening to music AND writing at the same time, so I didn't have a specific song in mind. Could be anything :p_

 **Anonymims chapter 2 . Aug 5**

 **This is really cute and very plausibly in character. The ship tease is just right. I love it! Can't wait to see where the fluff goes!**

 _Thank you so much! One of the most important things to me while writing fanfiction is to stay in character, I dedicate a lot of time rewriting stuff to make sure it's at least not too OOC :-) And stay tuned, I've got a lot planned for these two rascals._

 **Person chapter 1 . Aug 2**

 **That was good! Did I spy a Gravity Falls quite in there?**

 _ **Thanks**_ _! I've only watched a few episodes of Gravity Falls, though it is on my watchlist._

 _So sadly, I'll have to disappoint! No intentional GF quotes in here._

 **-Marcos Pov-**

The room was darkened except for a few rays of sunshine creeping their way through the gaps the curtains could not cover. I noticed the faint sound of birds chirping in the far distance as I slowly came to my senses, rubbing my temples until I felt ready to face the day. Or..as ready as I could force myself to be.

I let out a quick sigh as my gaze shifted over to the clock on the table. 1 pm. I was about to drift off again but my eyes instantly shot open when I remembered the date.

Prom. Dress?...STAR!

I quickly jumped up from the sofa and started shaking Star who was still fast asleep and didn't make any attempts at getting up.

"Star, come on, you're meant to call Jackie and Janna today. Don't you want to be the mewman embodiment of a rave?"

I asked half jokingly, while her eyes slowly fluttered open. She let out a big yawn and stretched out her entire body. "What's the-..." I nodded slowly, underlying understanding of what her next reaction would be.

"ONE PM?" She jumped up, swiftly racing upstairs and returning about a minute later , phone in her hand.

"I called Janna and Jackie and hah! Get this..."

"They haven't left yet?"

"THEY HAVENT EVEN-" she stopped midsentence.

"Why do you always have to ruin the surprise?"

I shrugged, a grin on my lips that I couldn't suppress.

"You know me."

She pinched my cheek, her wand navigating a hair brush, combing her tousled bedhead while she was making her way towards the door.

"I really do. I'll text you when i'm on my way back! We can get dinner or something!"

I gave her a thumbsup and short wave as she left.

 **-Stars Pov-**

"What's up guys? Sorry I'm late."

I blurted out as I arrived at the mall, completely out of breath.

"Why didn't you just use your wand to directly blast yourself here?"

Janna asked, genuinely curious. It's what I do more often than not.

"I was using it to brush my hair!"

I explained, pointing at my wand still controlling the brush that was now going through my soft and untangled strands.

"Oh, that's cool." Janna replied, completely unphased. She's so used to this by now.

"Kay, guys, I've looked online and there's this really cool store that sells like, _super_ cheap but nicelooking dresses."

Jackie announced, showing us the website on her phone.

"Yeah, I'm down." Janna agreed.

"LET'S ROLL!" I cheered. I was really excited to get a _striking_ dress, I had so many ideas for what I could go for, the possibilities were endless!

We strolled into the store, Jackie checking out the first dresses in sight, me running off into the distance on my search for anything with stars, or comets on it.

I quickly skimmed through all the dresses they had, but nothing was shouting 'TAKE ME, I'M PERFECT". I usually go with my instinct no matter what but sadly nothing really mesmerised me.

I don't know how long it took me, but after I completely lost sight of Janna and Jackie, and my energy and faith plummeted down by the minute I finally found what I was looking for.

It was a deep cobalt blue dress. Strapless, very long, possibly floor length.

It had a firework-esque explosion of golden rain worked in on the top part of the dress, that expanded into singled out golden stars embroidered onto the skirt.

I slowly ran my hand over the delicate fabric as it clicked inside my head.

"This is it!" Luckily enough, it was my size, so I grabbed the dress as fast as I could and sprinted into the dressing room.

After I stripped down to my underwear, I carefully slipped into the gown not wanting to tear anything.

I managed to safely wiggle my way into the dress and stepped outside the cabin to fully admire its beauty.

It was a snug fit around my chest and waist, expanding in a skirt that reached down to the floor, playfully trailing my silhoutte.

I cupped my face in both my hands with enthusiasm and let out a small squeal.

"No wonder it took you so long, you found the ultimate Star dress."

I heard an approaching voice say.

"In every sense of the word."

I turned around to recognize Janna and Jackie making their way towards me.

"You look absolutely rad!" Jackie smiled at me while examining my dress.

"Really cool pattern, it suits you." Janna agreed.

"Aww thank you guys! I will have to make a few adjustments though..."

I replied, already scheming a brilliant plan on how to take it up a notch if I do say, or _think_ so myself.

"It will have to be a surprise! You'll see at prom."

I grinned, my attention drifting to Jackie who was holding a dress wrapped in a plastic case and Janna who was holding nothing.

"Havent you decided on a dress yet?" I wondered, pointing at Jannas empty arms.

"Nah, I already got a tux last week."

The brunette responded, shrugging halfheartedly.

"Looks pretty dope! She sent me pics wearing it."

Jackie said, digging her hand inside her pocket to pull out her phone.

She handed it over to me, the photo folder already opened.

I took a quick peek at it just to find out that she was right. It looked neat and pretty stylish.

"Oooo classy!" I admired, nudging Janna in the side slightly.

Her cheeks adapted a deep shade of red. "Thanks...I guess."

We made our way to the counter and paid for our stuff, me already excited to bring Marco the good news.

I took the bag with my dress in it and hugged my two friends goodbye.

"It was awesome hanging with you guys today, but I promised Marco we'd get dinner together tonight so, I gotta bounce!"

Janna and Jackie exchanged a quick glance, as if they knew something I didn't. I couldn't make time to think about it further though, since I was in a hurry.

"Oh, okay, man. Have fun and take care yeah?"

"Bye Star, see you Monday."

They gave me a wave as I was on my way calling Marco.

Just as I was about to hit the dial button I received another call.

"Star, darling, are you free right now? We need to discuss something."

Ugh, mother. I was thinking about asking her to call later, but since I could tell from her voice, this wasn't good news, and I didn't want to spoil dinner with my best friend, ruining the good day. In my dilemma, I decided to just get it over with now.

"Since you've reached adulthood, and will soon be returning to Mewni to fulfill your role as queen, your father and I have decided on bestowing a final challenge upon you, to prove you are responsible and have learned and matured properly on earth."

My heart began to race, with every beat it felt like it was expanding an unbearable amount. Through all the excitement for prom I completely forgot about my return to Mewni after summer.

"What is it, mom." I managed to bring out the words, clutching my chest tightly, ridden by a delusional fear of my heart developing a mind of its own to jump out of my body.

"Well, we want to see that you are not solely dependent on your magical powers and your wand, in case it wont be available to you in an emergency here on Mewni, you must obtain the skill to be able to rule this kingdom even without magic."

She sounded a tad nervous and even more on edge than normal. At least it seemed like she actually cared a tiny bit about removing something so important from me.

My thoughts started racing and tumbling down a spiral I had no control over, could not maneuver

If that's what would prove to her I'm 'mature' so be it.

Let's see if that's really all she wants.

Because sending me to another planet wasn't enough. Now I had to prove myself, again.

I sensed a painful heat building in the pit of my stomach. Why won't she let me be. Why does she want to change me.

Even if I'd ace all her little tests, I probably would never be good enough in her eyes

Neither as queen, nor daughter.

I could feel my teeth clenching, my hands forming fists, my body working against me.

I didn't want to feel this way. It was unfair. I knew she cared, deep down. I knew she did.

I finally managed to choke back my anger.

"How long." I replied bluntly.

"30 days. We will have a butler collect your dimensional scissors and wand tonight. That's all. Don't disappoint us, Star!"

"Deal." I said before simply hanging up.

 _Well, this changes everything._

I called Marco to tell him dinner was cancelled, and to meet me at home.

I winced in guilt when I heard the disappointment in his voice, we haven't been out for food in ages because of senior year schoolstress, him practicing for his annual karate tournament and dancing lessons but I promised I'd make it up to him.

 **-Marcos Pov-**

I was already home for about 20 minutes before Star barged in the front door.

She sounded overly serious and a bit upset over the phone, so logically I was concerned and wondering about what must've happened today that put her in this state.

It surely must've been something big. It's hard to put Star's optimistic spirit down.

The princess belly flopped on the couch and let out a deep, frustrated grunt.

I sat down next to her. "What happened?"

"They're taking away my magic, Marco."

"WHAT! WHO? Is it Ludo again, don't worry I'm a black belt now."

I instinctively jumped up.

"Calm your karate chops, it's my parents."

"Your...parents?"

"Ugh, yes, Marco. My parents." She muttered into the cushions.

I sat down again. "I'm pretty sure they can't do that."

"Well, obviously they can. They're the royal family. They can do whatever they please."

Star said, slowly crouching up.

"But why would they? You're a _magical_ princess. You without magic is like a warnicorn without a horn!"

She sighed. "Gee, thanks."

 _Oh my god what was I saying._ "Nonono, not in that way of course. You're still awesome without magic, obviously. It just...belongs to you, you know? It's your thing. I have karate and you have magic. It's _our_ thing." I blurted out hastily.

Not a trace of doubt in my mind I just made matters worse. Stupid.

She looked down.

"Yeah, I get what you mean. It's alright. It's only for 30 days. I'll have to come back to Mewni at the end of summer anyways and start my training to become queen. I probably won't be able to see any of my friends on earth again, because mother will make sure to keep me _extremely_ busy."

With every word she spoke I could feel my heart drop a bit more. Every sentence came with a bitter aftertaste lingering in the room. It was too big of a toll on her. A crushing responsibility. The frustration in her voice was depressing. It was her last summer on earth. And it stung.

Yet, I wasn't hopeless.

"Look. I know you don't want to do this. You don't want to follow your mothers footsteps. You don't want to give up on everything that makes you, _you_. But I know you, Star. You don't have to be anything like your mother. You _will_ make a change. You'll be the greatest queen Mewni has ever seen. And you will rule it in the most wacky, and individual way. Any way you like. It will be different, but it will also be amazing."

I lifted my head up to smile at her, even though I felt like crying.

I could feel her warm embrace within seconds, her arms tightly wrapped around my torso.

"You big sap." She laughed, wiping away a small tear from her eye.

I chuckled and gently patted her back.

"Guess I am."

" _Thank you, Marco_." Star whispered before pulling away. Things were okay for a moment.


End file.
